Editor’s note: This story has been updated each day of the global IT outage with information about that day’s cancellations.
Monday, July 22, 2024:
Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights Monday in the fourth day of an operational meltdown at the carrier after a global technology outage Friday morning.
The outage hobbled Microsoft, which Delta relies upon heavily for its technology.
By about 5:45 p.m., Atlanta-based Delta had canceled more than 870 flights Monday, or about 23% of its total flights scheduled for the day, according to FlightAware.com.
Delta Connection carrier Endeavor Air canceled more than 100 flights, or about 14% of its flight schedule Monday.
Overall, there are more than 1,850 flights canceled Monday in the United States. That includes more than 400 flights to or from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where Delta has its largest hub.
The Atlanta airport, which is the world’s busiest, has also had the most flight cancellations every day since Friday.
In a video message to employees Monday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian signaled he expects a full recovery will still take some time.
“It’s going to take another couple of days before we’re in a position to say... the worst is clearly behind us,” Bastian said. Monday “will be a better day than yesterday and hopefully Tuesday and Wednesday will be that much better again.”
Sunday, July 21, 2024:
Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights again on Sunday as the Atlanta-based carrier continued to grapple with the aftermath of a global technology outage that has hit numerous industries. The outage hobbled Microsoft, which Delta relies upon heavily for its technology.
By about 8:30 a.m., Delta had canceled more than 400 flights worldwide, or about 11% of its scheduled departures, according to FlightAware.com. Barely 10 hours later, that number had more than doubled, to 945 canceled flights. Endeavor Air, which operates Delta Connection service, meanwhile, had canceled more than 90 flights so far Sunday morning and 149 flights at about 6:30 p.m.
United Airlines is also hampered and had canceled more than 200 flights by Sunday evening.
Overall, there are more than 1,300 flights canceled in the United States on Sunday, including more than 70 departures at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Delta departures to Hartsfield-Jackson are being delayed by an average of about four hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System Status site early Sunday morning.
On Sunday morning, help and guidance were being provided for passengers who slept overnight at the airport Saturday, according to airport spokesman Andrew Gobeil. For some passengers, it could have been their second night at Hartsfield-Jackson.
The airport was working to create a space to reunite travelers with their luggage. It also implemented a “concessions crisis plan” that would allow for concessions to be available at each concourse “while all flights are operating,” officials said.
“Although airport-operated systems were not impacted, we are providing support to passengers and employees throughout the facility,” Gobeil said. “We suggest passengers follow their airline social media and messaging apps for updates, they monitor ATL.com for parking, security, and concessions options, and they seek out green-coated ATL guest services representatives for airport-related information.”
Credit: Arvin Temkar
Credit: Arvin Temkar
Saturday, July 20, 2024:
Hundreds of airline flights have been canceled Saturday as the effects of a global technology outage Friday continued to disrupt Delta Air Lines and other carriers’ flights.
More than 1,400 flights were canceled Saturday by Atlanta-based Delta and its regional jet operation Delta Connection, according to FlightAware.com. The Delta cancellations amounted to 36% of its mainline flight schedule Saturday, and it has canceled more flights than any other U.S. airline since the outage began.
Credit: Steve Schaefer /
Credit: Steve Schaefer /
But some other carriers are still experiencing the fallout as well.
United Airlines, which has been affected by the outage, canceled more than 445 flights Saturday, or about 15% of its mainline flight schedule as of early Saturday afternoon, according to FlightAware. Spirit Airlines canceled 125 flights, or 13% of its flight schedule.
Overall, there were about 2,870 flights canceled in the United States on Saturday, including 725 flight cancellations at Hartsfield-Jackson, FlightAware data show.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System Status page, Delta had ground delays averaging 96 minutes for departures to Hartsfield-Jackson early Saturday afternoon.
Friday, July 19, 2024:
U.S. airlines including Delta, United and American had hundreds of flight cancellations Friday due to a global technology outage, disrupting trips for tens of thousands of people.
Delta had the most flight cancellations among airlines in the United States, with more than 1,200 flights canceled, including Delta and Delta Connection flights. It canceled more than 24% of its mainline flights scheduled for Friday, according to FlightAware.com data Friday afternoon. More than 1,500 additional Delta flights were delayed.
“Additional delays and cancellations are expected Friday and potentially through the weekend,” Delta said in a statement. “We’re sorry for this inconvenience – canceling a flight is always our last resort and isn’t taken lightly.”
Delta said it is providing meal vouchers and hotel accommodations to affected customers.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
In an updated statement before 8 a.m. Eastern, Atlanta-based Delta said it had resumed some flight departures after pausing its global flight schedule early Friday morning due to a vendor technology issue that impacted several airlines and businesses around the world.
The issue is affecting many users of Microsoft products but the issue itself is not with Microsoft. CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, said that one of its security updates triggered the outages. The companies said that fixes have been identified and are being implemented, though impacts could linger.
Delta also extended a travel waiver, for customers scheduled to travel Friday, July 19 and Saturday, July 20 who want to change their travel plans.
The airline said it is waiving the difference in fare for customers who rebook in the same cabin to travel by July 25.
In a message posted to the website X Saturday afternoon, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg reminded stranded passengers — and warned airlines — that customers who do not want to rebook their travel have the right to ask for a refund.
”I am hearing reports of some airlines only offering flight credits to passengers for cancelled flights,” Buttigieg wrote. “Let me be clear — you are entitled to get your money back promptly if your flight is cancelled and you don’t take a rebooking.”
Delta said customers can manage changes to their itinerary via http://Delta.com or the Fly Delta app.
“Any customers whose flights are impacted will be notified by Delta via the Fly Delta app and text message,” Delta said earlier in the morning on X. “Customers should use the Fly Delta App for updates. We apologize for the inconvenience as our teams work through this issue.”
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
While some customers have been able to use Delta’s app and website, others reported problems accessing the app, which at times displayed a screen saying: “We’re Sorry... An error has occurred. Please try again later.”
Delta acknowledged those problems, saying: “While customers can monitor and manage their itineraries on Delta.com or on the Fly Delta app, these online tools have been inundated with traffic, causing intermittent performance challenges. Delta teams are working to stabilize those tools.”
“Also note that our ability to respond to service messages on social media platforms such as X are limited,” Delta said.
At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which typically handles about 300,000 passengers a day, long lines for Delta customer service help stretched from the queuing area down the domestic terminal hallway alongside the baggage claim carousels Friday morning.
Airlines including Frontier and Spirit also had long lines stretching from their ticket counters.
Spirit said Friday morning that due to the outage, it was unable to rebook people whose travel plans had been disrupted. It had canceled more than 120 flights by midday Friday, according to FlightAware.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Delta warned that it expected additional delays and cancellations Friday.
When flights are canceled, it can cause further cancellations throughout the day because planes and flight crews end up out of place. A morning flight from New York to Atlanta that is canceled, for example, means the plane does not get to Atlanta for the next departure, and crews are also displaced for the next leg of their itinerary. After unexpected disruptions, those knock-on effects can continue throughout the day.
Delta departures to Hartsfield-Jackson were delayed an average of more than 6 hours by midday Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System Status page, which listed a ground delay in effect for Friday.
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